Spring motor



March 25, '1924.`

M. WEIL.

SPRING MOTOR original Filed April 4. 1921 lfatented llt/lar. 25, i924,

lllillif@ STATES@ MAXIMILIAN YVEIL,

tratase OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPR-ING MOTOR.

Application led April 4, 1921', Serial No, 458,345. Renewed August 22,1923.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAXi'rriLiAN VIEIL, a

Y citizen of the United States, and residentof New York cit-y, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Spring Motors, of which the following is aspecification.

hjly present invention relates in its more .0 specific applications tospring motor driving mechanisu'is for phoncgraphs although many of thefeatures of the invention are broadly applicable to spring power orequivalent n'iechanisnis regardless in what i5 relation they areemployed and regardless what they serve to propel.

The invention is concerned with specific adaptations of certain featuresof the invention disclosed. and broadly claimed in my 2D copendingapplication, Serial No. 396,211,

tiled July 14, 1920.

In common with my said prior invention, the present invention has forone of its Obj ects the provision of a spring power mechanism 3 in whichthe effectl of a rupture of a spring unit is quickly eliminated withoutinconvenience so that even after such rupture the mechanism can becontinued in use until such time as replacement of the broken unit canbe effected.

One known form of spring mechanism for phonograph motors comprises apair of coaxial spring drums, 'the springs being connected in series attheir inner ends by means` of a sleeve extending into both drums,winding torque. being applied at one of the drums and the powerdelivered to the driven mechanism from the other drum. In this form ofmechanism, if either spring breaks or lfieeonies disconnected the motoris inoperative. 4

According to one feature of my invention, mechanism of the constructionlast referred to is equipped with a coupling means arranged to establisha direct mechanical connection between the sleeve and one of the drumsfor operation of the apparatus with but one of the springs operativelyconnected. In the preferred embodiment the coupling means is arranged tobe readily set for cutting either of` the springs out of operation andthis regardless whether the spring is broken or intact. The couplingmember is preferably in the form of a clutch mounted upon the sleeveanddisposed in the space between the drums, and having teeth forcooperation with corresponding` teeth upon the drums.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possibleembodiments of the several features of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a. view in longitudinal section of the preferred embodiment ofthe invention,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of 1,and;

Figs. 3 and 1 are detail sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and 1-4respectively 4of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown at 1 a fragment of motorboard of a phonograph to the bottom of which is secured the spring motorunit 2. rl`his motor is shown by way of illustration as of thetwo-spring type although the invention is applicable to motors embodyingthree or more springs. The construction of thc inotor in its generalfeatures is of a familiar type, which taken by itself is not claimedherein. The known elements of the construction comprise a main frame 3including a pair of standards extending downwardly from the motor boardwhen the motor is inposition shown. Through the standards extends a deadshaft or supporting rod structure V. Encircling the supporting rod nearthe right end of the sleeve is a lnishing (i to which is rigidlyconnected, preferably by being forced thereover the cover plate 'l' of adrum 8, the length of the drum extending over the end of a sleeve 9mounted upon the supporting roc structure 5. The inner end or bottom 1()of the drum 8 has preferably a washer 11 held in place in a manner to bedescribed below to prevent escape of lubricant between the drum and thesleeve 9.

At the left end of sleeve 9 is a shortsleeve 12 encircling thesupporting shaft which is formed rigid and preferably integral with thedriving or transmission gear 13, the lat.-

1921. Briefly, this construction comprises a lever 41 pivoted to lug 42cast integrally With the frame structure 3 and having an operatinghandle 43 projecting above the motor board 1 and pivoted at its lowerend as at 44 to the supporting rod 5. As in the copending application,notches are formed in a cover plate 45 to lock the operating arm andconsequently the supportingrodin any of the various settings that may berequired in use. 1n the present case there will be three notches 46, 47and 48., notch 47 corresponding to the neutral position of the clutch,and notches 46 and 48 one to each of the operative positions thereof.

1n operation, assuming that unit No. 2 has been broken, to set thedevice for operation,

the lever handle 43 is shifted to move the' rod 5 to the right, thelatter carrying with it the clutch 22, the teeth 34 of Which will enterinto mesh With the clutching plate construction upon drum 8, in eect, amechanical short-circuit about the broken spring unit No. 2. WhenWinding torque is now applied through the Winding handle (not shown) thesame Will be transmitted through the drum 8 to the clutch 22, to thesleeve 9 and from the latter to spring 17. Since the brake mechanism(not shown) prevents rotation of transmission gear 13 and of drum 14 towhich the outer end of spring 17 is secured, the said outer end Willremain stationary While the inner Aend is moved about the aXis, andWinding, accordingly, takes place. The inner end of the spring is heldagainst unwinding by the restraining action of the winding mechanism 21substantially in the usual manner. When the brake mechanism is released,'the single operative driving spring in its expansion Will, therefore,furnish the `driving energy.

When a rupture or unhooking occurs, the user, of course, docs not knowWhether it is unit No. 1 or unit No. 2 that has become inoperative. If,as above assumed, the spring unit No. 2 breaks and the user thereuponshifts the lever to move the rod toward the left instead of toward theright, thus shortcircuiting the single intact spring, rotation of thewinding handle will, of course, be ineffective for storing energy in themotor. The user not encountering the usual. resistance to winding Willnow shift the lever 41 in the opposite direction until it is locked inthe other extreme notch in cover plate 45 and the device Will thenfunction as above set forth.

Should the spring unit No. 1- become ruptured or disconnected, theclutch should be moved toward the left by shifting the lever 41 towardthe right, thus bringing the clutch teeth 33 into mesh with the teeth onplate 37, thereby in effect, short-circuiting the spring 17. The Windingof the unbroken spring unit No. 2 can now be effected by rotation of thewinding handle, the Winding torque being transmitted from the drum 3 tospring 18. The sleeve 9 to which the inner end of spring 18 is securedis held against rotation, since it is locked to drum 14 by clutch 22,the drum 14 being retained against rotation by transmission gear 13which in turn is held by the action of the braking mechanism (notshown). `When the brake is released, the single operative spring reactsagainst stationary drum 8 in its expansion and transmits power throughsleeve 9, clutch 22, drum 14 and transmission gear 13 to the drivenmechanism.

Although the clutch teeth 33 and 34 are preferably beveled at their endsas at 50 to facilitate mesh With the clutch plates, it is desirable torotate the Winding cranl through a small angle While shifting theclutch. 1t will be apparent that the likelihood of butting of clutchteeth with those on a clutch plate is thus obviated.

lVhen either of the springs breaks, the rcstraining force on the intactspring is suddenly released and the latter rapidly expends its storedenergy. As distinguished from constructions in which the spring does notautomatically reconnect should it become disengaged, unhoolring o-f oneof the springs upon rupture of the other causes no inconvenience in myconstruction, for, as heretofore indicated, such detached spring Wouldautomatically reconnect with the sleeve 9 upon Winding, after theoperator has short-circuited the ruptured spring.

Thus, 1 have provided a construction in which, upon rupture of eitherspring, Whether or not the other has thereby become unhooked, it ismerely necessary to shift lever 43 in the appropriate direction and toWind the mechanism in the usual manner in order to unfailingly restorethe motor for operation upon the intact spring or springs. Obviously,the reclutching connection set forth could be employed in theconstruction of my copending application, Serial No. 396,211, abovereferred to.

It Will thus be seen that by means of a simple modification of certaindetails of a familiar form of phonograph motor, 1 achieve the desirableresults above noted. Substantially, the only changes made in thefamiliar construction are the provision of the slots 26 in the sleeve 9,the provision of the clutch construction 22 and of the clutch plateconstructions 37 and the simple modification of the supporting shaftconstruction either by cutting a circumferential groove centrallythereof or by employing the sleeves 28 and 29 as pointed out. Theoperating mechanism connecting the shifting rod to the top of the motorboard as seen, is made at small expense from standard gauge stock.

Many of the beneficial characteristics fointed'out in my copendingapplication, erial No. 396,211 are inherent'in the inven tion of thepresent application.

The motor can be set for operation by any inexperienced person, even bya child, there being no occasion to touch or even to inspect the motor.

' The operating lever by its co-action with one of the notches in thecover plate 45 serves to retain the shifting rod and with it the clutchagainst displace nent from any position in which it is set.

Although the motor can be ope ated to advantage according to the methodabove indicated that is, by shifting the clutch, in order to eliminate aspring upon rupture thereof, it is preferable not to set the clutch inthe neutral position when the motor .is new, or at any other time, butto `place it from the outset into cooperation with either drum 8 or drum14 so that the motor operates at all times on only one spring, theunused spring not being used and being maintained in perfect conditionin reserve to be cut into operation only when the first spring breaksdown. Thus, my present invention also provides a selective arrangementaffording a choice as to which spring or springs are to be kept in use.

As in the case of my copending application, Serial No. 396,211, it willbe obvious that my invention might be carried out in a construction inwhich it would be possible to use only one of the springs at a time,there being no neutral position for operation with both springsconcurrently. This idea mightV be carried out in a simple manner bylengthening the clutch 22 or the clutch teeth 33 and 3/1 so that one setmust always be in mesh.

Although the invention has been shown and described as applied to apower unit of the two-spring type, it will be understood that theidearean be readily applied to drums embodying three or more springs, insuch manner that any one of the plurality of springsican be eliminatedfrom operation either when inta-ct or when ruptured, or that any one ofsaid plurality of springs can be maintained in operation, the othersbeing eliminated from operation.

No increase in length or diameter of spring motors results fromembodying my selective mechanism therein, since in the preferred form,the clutch is disposed be.- tween successive drums and the supportingrod serves as a transmission to the clutch from the manual operatingmeans external of the motor. The motor with my selective mechanismembodied therein is a single selfcontained unit that can be applied tothe phonograph with the same facility as motors that do not embody myinvention.

It will be apparent that, if desired, automatic means might be providedfor shifting the clutch instead of the manual means shown. v

The above description has been limited to the preferred application ofmy invention to certain types of phonograph motors but is, of course,broadly applicable in any re- Alation where such general type of motormay be useful, as, for instance, in the operation of signal apparatus.

As in the case of my copending application, Serial No. 396,211, it istofbe understood that in its broader aspects the present bodied invarious forms of couplings otherl than the clutch arrangement shown.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of Vthe character Vdescribed, in combination, a frame, apower plant mounted thereon, comprising a plurality of driving springs,winding means for delivering energy to said springs, a connection fordelivering stored energy from said springs, and coupling means uponsaidpower plant and exposed between said springs for establishing a drivingconnection about one of said springs. Y

2. In apparatus` of the character described, in-combination, a powerplant. comprising a pair of drums, coil springs, one in each of saiddrums, a member extendingl into said drums for connecting the inner endsof said springs in series, and coupling means for establishing a directconnection between said member and one of said drums in lieu of thecorresponding spring.

3. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a powerplant comprising a pair of coaxial drums, coil springs, one in each ofsaid drums, a winding connection and an energy delivering connection atopposite ends of said power' plant., means extending coaxially into saiddrums for con necting said springs in series, and means exposed betweensaid drumgfor establishing a rigid connection vabout one of saidsprings.

4. In apparatus of the character described, in combinatiom-a power plantcomprising a pair of drums, a Vpair of coil springs, one in each drum, awinding connection at one end of said power plant and a power deliveryconnection at the other end of said vpower plant, means extending intosaid drums and coaxially thereof for connecting said two springs inseries, and a coupling device between the said drums for establishing arigid connectionV about either' of said spring. i

5. In. apparatus of the character de? scribed', in combination, a shaft,a pair of 1,487,994 gigdrums mounted thereon, a pair of coil springs onewithin each drum and secured thereto at its outer end, a connectorjoining the inner ends oi said springs, and means for rigidly joiningsaid connector to either ot said drums. Y

6. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a supportingshaft, a sleeve tloatingly mounted thereon, a pair ot drums, a pair ol'coil springs one in each ot said drums, each connected at its inner endto said sleeve `and at its outer end to the corresponding drum, andmeans disposed adjacent said sleeve and between said drums and arrangedto be actuated tor establishing a rigid connection between said sleeveand either of said drums.

'7. In apparatus of Vthe character described, in combination, a shaft, asleeve fioatingly mounted thereon, a pair ot drums floatingly mountedupon said shaft and extending` toward each other from opposite ends ofsaid sleeve, said drums being spaced from each other at their adjacentends and forming a liquid tight connection with said sleeve at saidends, a spring in each said drum connecting the same to said sleeve, anda coupling member arranged to be shifted along said sleeve :torestablishing a rigid connection between either of said drums and saidsleeve.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 in which the coupling means hasa neutral position and is arranged to be shifted in either direction forcooperation with either ot said drums.

9. The combination set forth in claim 7 in which the coupling member ismounted upon the sleeve, rotatable therewith and slidable thereon.

10. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, asupporting shaft, a sleeve floating thereon, a coupling me1nbersurroundingsaid sleeve, slidable thereon but limited against rotationwith respect thereto, a pair of drums extending over op posite ends ofsaid sleeve and toward said coupling member, springs in said drumsconnecting the latter to said sleeve, said cou pling member having teethat its opposite ends and a conformation upon said drums :tor cooperationwith the corresponding coupling member teeth, whereby upon shitting saidcoupling member in either direction, a rigid connection will beestablished between said sleeve and one ot said drums.

11. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a sleeve, apair of drums extending over opposite ends of said sleeve, springswithin said drums connecting said drums to said sleeve, a clutch membersurrounding said sleeve between said drums and a shifting rod extendingthrough said sleeve and connected to said clutch member for shitting thelatter in one direction to establish a rigid connection between saidsleeve and one of the drums.

12. In apparatus oi" the character de scribed, in combination, a powerunit coniprising a pair oi coaxial drums spaced trom each other, aclutch member between said drums, springs in said drums, a connector torjoining said springs to operate in series, and means operable from theexterior ot said power unit to shitt said clutch in either direction torestablishing a rigid power connection between said connector and eitheret said drums.

13. In apparatus oi' the character described, in combination, c..supporting rod struc ture, a groove therein, a sleeve surrounding saidrod, a clutch member surrounding said sleeve, stop extending trom saidclutch member through a longitudinal slot in said sleeve and into saidgroove, drums tioatingly mounted at opposite sides of said clutch andhaving teeth adapted to cooperate with teeth on said clutch, wherebyupon longitudinal shitting ot' said supporting rod, said clutch will beshifted along said sleeve to establish a direct driving connectionbetween said sleeve and one or the other ot said drums.

la. In apparatus ot the character described, in combination, asupporting rod having a pair of sleeves rigidly secured thereto, theadjoining ends ot said sleeves being spaced from each other, a sleevefloatingly mounted upon said secured sleeves and having a pair ofelongated longitudinally extending slots, a clutch member encirclingsaid sleeve, having teeth at its opposite ends, said clutch having apair of pins threaded thereinto and extending through said elongatedslots and between the adjoining sleeve ends upon said supporting rod, apair of drums floatingly mounted upon said supporting rod structure atthe opposite ends ot said sleeve and eX- tending inwardly toward eachother, and sets of teeth upon the adjacent ends ot said drums, witheither oi which the corresponding clutch member teeth are adapted to bemeshed upon shifting or' the supporting` rod in the correspondingdirection.

15. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a powerplant involving a plurality of coil springs, anchoring means for theouter ends ot the springs, anchoring means tor the inner ends of thesprings, means for altering the mechanical connections for operation otthe motor with less than all ot said springs operatively connected, oneoi `the anchoring means for each ot said springs being` automaticallyreclutching, whereby should any spring disconnect upon rupture ofanother, it will reconnect to permit operation of the motor after thesaid mechanical connections are altered. i

P'r. la

1G. In a phonograph motor, in combination, a power plant comprising aplurality ot coaxial coil springs, connected in series, winding meansfor delivering energy to said power plant, torque transmitting means fordelivering energy from said power plant, coupling means for establishinga mechanical short-circuit about a broken spring, a relea-sable powerconnection for an end oil' each of the springs, said connection beingconstructed and arranged to automat-ically resume operative position,whereby should any spring disconnect before rupture of an other, it willreconnect to permitV operation of the motor after said short-circuit isestablished.

1T. ln apparatus oi the character dei scribed, in combination, a powerplant com-` prising a pair ol coaxial spring units arranged side byside, winding means at one end ot' the power plant, torque transmittingmeans at the other end of the power plant, coupling means forestablishing a mechanical short-circuit about a broken spring, drummeans to which theV outer ends of said springs are secured, sleeve meanshaving' a power transmitting connection to the inner ends of saidsprings, the connection of said springs at said sleeve'means beingautomatically releasa'bleV and being constructed and arranged toautomatically reconnect, whereby should any spring disconnect beforerupture of another, it will reconnect to permit operation of themotor'aft'er said shortcircuit is established. Y

18. The combination set forth in claim 6 in whichthe connection of thesprings at their inner inturned spring end cooperating with a shoulderin the sleeve extending substantially the width of the spring, theshoulders 'for the two springs facing in opposite directions, wherebyupon rupture of aV spring, the remaining spring will remain intact andwill becomev automatically reanchored shouldv it be disengaged foroperation of the motor.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis 29th day of March, A. D. 1921.

MAXIMILIAN WEIL.

ends to the sleeve, comprises an soY

